Apparatus for handling strip material



Jun 7, 1932. J. o. SMALL 1,862,040

APPARATU; FOR HANDLING STRIP MATERIAL Filed Oct. 26. 1928 JUL/5777272? fa/7271751 25]! W if! 5- k I; i

Patented June 7, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oFr-lce JOHN 0. SMALL, AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE B. F.- GOODRICH COMPANY, F

NEW YORK, N Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK I i APPARATUS FORVHANYYDLING s'rmr MATERIAL Application filed October 26, 1928. Serial No. 315,221.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for handling strip material and more especially to methods and apparatus for shaping strip material and winding it onto a drum or the like.

Among the chief objects of my invention are to provide an'improved method and improved apparatus for evenly shaping a strip 7 of material transversely thereof, as in making tire flaps of trough-like cross-sectional form,

so thatthe strip will lie smoothly in place in successive convolutions and will retain its shape when it is wound on a drum; and to provide for concurrently shaping and winding a transversely-shaped strip of material in a series of superposed and interfitting convolutions on a winding form in such manner that the strip will not be subjected to deforming forces after it is shaped and before it is 2i vulcanized.

The invention is of especial utility in connection with the fabrication of tire flaps and the like in which a strip of vulcanizable material is wound under tension in a series of superposed convolutions within an annular groove formed on the outer periphery of a drum while beingshaped thereon, and the drum with the material thereon is then placed in a vulcanizer and the material vulcanized.

Of the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my apparatus, parts thereof being broken away, and other parts being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

85 Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. j I

Fig. 1 is a vertical middle section of a fragmentary part of a drum and work associated therewith.

Referring to the drawing, the apparatus comprises a pair of vertically-arranged parallel frame members 10, 10, secured to the base member 11 adjacent an end thereof with their respective upper ends braced against inde- 145 pendent lateral 'movement by the channel member 12. 1

- Each of the frame members 10, 10, has secured theretonear its upper inner-end a U- shaped, metal strap or guide member 10 a frame member 10, and having its interme diate offset portion inwardly ofiset from the frame member'and so arranged that thefltwo of them extend toward each other and define between them 'an' elongated slot or guideway open both at the top and bottom..

A pair of channeled'or grooved cradle rolls 13, 14, the roll 13 being a driving roll and the roll 1 1 being an idler, are mounted-on respective shafts 15, 16 which are mounted lll'j0lll nal brackets mounted on the base member 11. Three brackets, 17 17 and 17 are provided for the shaft 15 of the driving roll and the shaft 16' is mounted in only two brackets, such as the bracket 18, Fig. 1.

The cradle rolls 13, 14 have facings of'rubher or like frictional and cushioning material on their grooved work-carrying surfaces and are of approximately the same diameter. A centrally-apertured sprocket 20 is mounted on a flanged bushing 19 mountedfor free rota tion on the shaft 15 between the journal brackets 17 and 17 The female member 21 of a cone clutch is secured tothe sprocket member by screws or the like. A retaining collar 22 is secured'onthe shaft 15by a set screw 22 to hold the sprocket and clutch member rotatably in position upon the shaft.

A male clutch member 21 is splined to the shaft 15 by a key 23 for coaction with the female clutch member 21. clutch member 21 is provided with a" shipper arm 25 which is secured upon a horizontal rock shaft 26, the latter being mounted at itsrespective ends in ajournal bracket 27 and'in a bearing 28 formedon a 'motor sup The male porting structure 29. A tension spring 30 V connects the shipper arm with the journal bracket 17 to urge the clutch member 21- toward de-clutched position, and a treadle cradle rolls 13', 14 support an annular meta-l drum or spool 35 preferably formed 'of-two complemental annular members 36 36 bolt- 50 each of the latter having its ends secured to edtogether and defining between them an Bf V 1,862,040

drum 35 during rotation thereof upon -the cradle. rolls 13, 14 a grooved idler roll 40 adapted to straddle the drum is mou-ntedon a shaft 41 which is mounted in a u-shaped 5 or yoke member 42 havingi'ts arms pivotally secured i-at 42 to the respective frame :mem-

hers all), The -U.-sh'-a ped member 42 is adapted tobe supported, when the cradle rolls \l'rave no GlIll-1]1 thereon, :a pair of brace members such :as themembers 43, each side of the yoke being provided with a stud, such as the :stud 45,- extending :into a curved slot, such as the slot .46, formed :inthe adja cent brace .member. wEonsupportin-g a stool; roll of strip material58;.ahorizontalspindle L8 is mounted on \a-bracket 4L9 projecting from one of the frame members. a

- .Aseries of guide rolls .50, 51,452, -53 are mounted on fixed-shafts between the-frame members .10, 110, fandfor cooperating with the intermediate rolls Q51, .52 of the series to tension astrip of tire-flap material threaded through ithe series of rolls a,presser roll '35 55 as jpunnaledmn 'ahand lever 56 which is pivotedat- 5.7 on the frame, the roll 55 .bein g adapted to be crowded in between the rolls 5:1, ".52 j-to grip thestrip :and increase their friction against theirshafts. n

Themechanism for shaping the strip .ma-

terialcomprises ashoe 59 having an :arcuate stnipshaping portion 60 adapted-to press the strip. into the groove of "the drum substantially at the strip'?s point of tangency to the dr'um, the' shoe being so shaped as rac- ,curatelygto give the desired cross-sectional :form -to the strip. The'shoe .59is secured near-its heel upon the lower end of a force applying .arm 61' which has its upper end hinged eat 62' -to .an -intermediate po-rtion 20f urn-approximately Ihorizontal weighted lever 62 which is ;pivoted at 62 to an upright support 63 rising from the outer end of the yoke 42. .A pair'ofparallel guide members i 4'7, 47 eXtend between-the arms of .the yoke 42 toilimit the I swinging movement of the shoe about the p -ivot;pin 62 "The-weighted lever 62 extends between :the guides .10, 510? and -its .outer end portion, having a weight to .68 mounted for adjustment thereon, has secured thereto '"arflexible *cable .65 .WhlClLfBX- tends over -;an overhead pulley fi6 and is ;pro-

' lvidedwo'n the other side thereof with a hook eratorgthehookbeing: adapted .tozbeiengaged with a stud 69 mounted on one of the frame members to hold the shoe 59 in raised position.

In the operation of the apparatus the strip of material in fiat cross-sectional form is drawn from .a stock roll on the spindle 48,

past the guiding and tensioning devices described, and is Wound onto the drum, which is then easily removed from the rest of the apparatus and conveyed to the vulcanizer.

the heel-o f the shoe engages the fabric at substantially the same moment the latter contacts with the "drum and with the preceding .turn. of .the strip ihereon, the strip is fully shaped while it is under slight tension and beforeit has had an opportunity to adhere strongly to the drum or to the underlying turn. Thestrip is shaped transverselyand longitudinally at the same time and then vulcanized without further change 10f form, which avoids the iundesirable .tensioning of the margins and deforming of theshaped strip which occurs when such a strip .is transyerselyshaped at .a distance from its point of tangency or initial contact, with relation to 9 a channeled vulcanizin g'; drum on which it is wound and @is thereafter ,given the longitudinalcurvature in being wound onto the drum. The apparatus also has :the advantage that drums *of different sizes, .to make .flaps'for tires of different sizes, readily may be substituted for each other. I

.hlyinvention. is susceptible -.of modification withinthe scope-ofthe appended claims.

I claim: v p 9 .1. Strip+shaping :and winding apparatus comprising a circular member having a laterally-v cu-rved I outer p eripheral surface, .cu-shion surfaced .eradle )means for rotating the said member, andlaterall-y-curved yielding means 319 adaptedtoautomatically press in a substan- .tially radial direction against the said laterallycurved outer peripheral surface of the circularimember, said circular member .being provided with. means forsecuring the leading endof-the strip.

. 2. Strip-shaping and winding apparatus comprising a rotatable: support having a lat .erally-concavted peripheral surface, cushion surfaced cradle means for rotating ;the:sup- 4& port to wind a strip of material onto the same, and an arcuate,laterally-curved-shoemovable radially with respect to the said support I and cooperating with the support for shaping-the :fiat material itO itPPIOXlHliltBlY the shape of 513 the curved peripheral-surface;of thesupport and for,autmaticallyipressing thethusshaped materia'l -onto the laterally-conceived outer surface iof .the support, said support being providediwith meansior securing theleading end of the strip. l I 1 p .-3. :Strip shaping .-a11 d winding {apparatus comprising a rotatablei support having :a .latera-llysconcaved ;outer p peripheral' surface, cushion surfaced =cradle means for rotating 0 the support whereby to wind initially-fiat strip material thereon, and means having a laterally-curved surface associated with the support for automatically shaping the flat strip material to channel form and yielding means for pressing the shaping means onto the said outer peripheral surfaceof the support, said support being provided with means for securing the leading end of the strip.

4. Strip-shaping and winding apparatus,

comprising a rotatable support having an annular channel on its outer peripheral surface, cushion surfaced cradle means for rotating the support for winding strip material thereon, a strip-shaping member having a laterally-curved portion thereof adapted to be brought in pressing engagement with the channel of the support, and means for applying a determinate force upon the said curved member to hold it in pressing engagement with strip material carried on the said support, said support being provided with means for securing the leading end of the strip. I

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 in which he said pressing means is adjustable for the application of different determinate pressures upon the shaped material on the support.

6. Strip-shaping and winding apparatus comprising cushion surfaced means for peo ripherally supporting and driving a circumferentially-channeled winding form means for pressing a strip of material into the channel of the form as it is wound therein by rotation of the form, means for yieldingly urging the said pressing means toward winding forms of different diameters mounted upon the said driving means with approximately the same determinate force, and means for securing the leading end of the strip to the 0 winding form.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which the pressing means comprises a shoe adapted to slide upon the work and in which the means for yieldingly urging it as defined comprises a lever and means connecting the shoe with a part of the lever remote. from its fulcrum.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which the pressing means comprises a shoe adapted to slide upon the work and in which the means for yieldingly urging it as defined comprises a lever and means for shifting the fulcrum of the lever in accordance with the diflerent diameters of successive forms. 7

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of October, 1928.

JOHN O. SMALL. 

